ARTIFACT CASTS

Lithic Casting Lab
Dalton point from the Olive Branch site. Cast of a Snyders point from the Mackinaw cache.
CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF
ALL AVAILABLE CASTS

   The casts offered by Lithic Casting Lab are the highest quality available anywhere. They are cast in epoxy resin from molds taken directly from the original artifacts. The edge detail and coloration are guaranteed to be as good or better than any other casts being sold. The technology to produce them has been developed from over 25 years of experience at Lithic Casting Lab. 
    A new cast will be posted each month to add to the number already available. Although some my be replaced with new examples.

JULY 2009 CAST
CLOVIS POINT, COLBY SITE, WYOMING

CLOVIS POINT
COLBY MAMMOTH KILL SITE
NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING
PRIVATE  COLLECTION
COPYRIGHT JUNE 30, 2009 PETER A. BOSTROM

CAST ILLUSTRATED
CAST #P-80

CLOVIS POINT
COLBY SITE
NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING

   This Clovis point was found in 1962 by heavy equipment operator Donald Colby. He found the point during reservoir construction. The Colby site was later named after Donald Colby, the discoverer of the site. This is the largest complete example. A total of four Clovis points were found on the site. All of the Colby Clovis points have rounded bases.
   Frison describes this Clovis point: "The specimen found by Colby is noticeably different in outline from the classic Clovis type, and part of this may be the result of reworking. The distal end was reworked for approximately 11 mm probably to correct for a previously broken tip. The blade edges expand continually to within about 8 mm from the base, where they are rounded sharply. A notch 9 mm deep and 15 mm wide is flaked into the base. The blade edges are ground for just over one-third of their length, and this joins with the grinding of the deep basal notch. There is a strong possibility that the base was reworked also and that the original specimen was longer and that it probably broke distal to the hafting.
   This Clovis point is made of a banded chert that probably came frm the Madison Formation. It measures 3 5/8 inches (9.2 cm) long.

THE COLBY SITE
CLICK HERE FOR COLBY SITE PICTURES & HISTORY

   The Colby site is located on private property in north central Wyoming in the Bighorn Basin. This important site was named after Donald Colby who discovered the first Clovis spear point there in 1962. Mr. Colby found it while using heavy earth moving equipment during the construction of a reservoir. The Colby site was first recognized as an important archaeological site when the first scientific excavations began to take place there in 1973. Most of the site was eventually excavated during five separate digging seasons between the years 1973 through 1978.
    Parts of at least seven mammoths were found in an ancient arroyo (dry gully or stream) in two areas designated as bone pile number 1 and bone pile number 2. There was also a third much smaller bone concentration that consisted of a variety of different mammoth bones. It's believed that due to the difference in the preservation of the bones that the mammoths were probably not all killed at the same time. The two larger bone piles were found to be in direct association with a small collection of Clovis related stone and bone artifacts. New dating estimates for Clovis could place this site as early as 14,000 years ago. Other types of animal bones found on the Colby site include horse, camel, bison, pronghorn, jackrabbit and possibly musk-ox.

JUNE 2009 CAST
STEMMED ARROW POINT, SWITZERLAND

STEMMED POINT
NEOLITHIC
AUVERNIER SITE, LAKE NEUCHATEL
WESTERN SWITZERLAND

PRIVATE COLLECTION
COPYRIGHT JUNE 30, 2009 PETER A. BOSTROM
Cast of a stemmed arrow point from, Auvernier site.
CAST ILLUSTRATED
CAST #N-10
STEMMED POINT
NEOLITHIC
AUVERNIER SITE, LAKE NEUCHATEL
WESTERN SWITZERLAND

     This arrow point was found on the Auvernier site in Lake Neuchatel in western Switzerland. The Auvernier site is a lake dwelling site that dates approximately from 4,000 BC to 500 BC. This stemmed point dates sometime between the Middle Neolithic period to the Early Bronze Age. Stemmed arrow points are found on Stone Age sites in many areas of the world. They represent one of the more common forms of projectile points. Ferdinand Keller illustrated three different shapes of arrow points in his book on Swiss “Lake Dwellings,” and refers to this style as "the most artistic of all." Some examples of stone arrow points were found still attached to a shaft with pitch and “thread.” This point is made from good quality chert and it measures 1 5/16 inches (3.3 cm) long.

 Stemmed arrow point from Auvernier site, Switzerland.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
ORIGINAL ARTIFACT ILLUSTRATED
STEMMED POINT
NEOLITHIC
AUVERNIER SITE, LAKE NEUCHATEL
WESTERN SWITZERLAND

PRIVATE COLLECTION

     This picture shows three views of the original stemmed arrow point from the Auvernier site in western Switzerland.

MAY 2009 CAST
CARVED HUMAN BIFACE, CHIMU, PERU

CARVED
HUMAN BIFACE

CHIMU CULTURE
NORTHWESTERN PERU
PRIVATE COLLECTION
COPYRIGHT MAY 30, 2009 PETER A. BOSTROM
Human carved biface, Chimu culture, Peru.
ORIGINAL ARTIFACT ILLUSTRATED
CAST #PRE-3
CARVED
HUMAN BIFACE

CHIMU CULTURE
NORTHWESTERN PERU

    This small bifacially flaked and carved human effigy was collected in northwestern Peru. It's believed to be a Chimu culture artifact that dates to sometime between 1000 and 1470 AD. The carving shows a human with his hands folded together over his stomach. The same figure is deeply carved onto the surface of both sides. The overall shape and size conforms to an average size projectile point but it must have been an item of importance. The carved figure probably represents some type of mythological being. It may have been hafted onto a shaft or it might have been worn as some type of jewelry. There are no sharp edges along the carved lines. The stone is semi-translucent in some areas and opaque in others. It appears to be good quality chert. It has been in contact with copper at one time. On one side of the head there are large spots of patina that are dark green. This engraved biface measures 2 1/8 inches (5.3 cm) long.

 Human carved biface, Chimu culture, Peru.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE.
ORIGINAL ARTIFACT ILLUSTRATED
CARVED HUMAN BIFACE
CHIMU CULTURE
NORTHWESTERN PERU

PRIVATE COLLECTION

     This picture shows three views of this carved human figure on a small bifacially flaked point.

APRIL 2009 CAST
EDEN POINT, FINLEY SITE

EDEN POINT
FINLEY SITE
A PALEO-INDIAN BISON KILL SITE
EDEN, WYOMING

EST. 8,500 TO 9,500 years ago
COPYRIGHT MARCH 31, 2009 PETER A. BOSTROM
Cast of an Eden point from the Finley site, Wyoming.
CAST ILLUSTRATED
CAST #P-79
EDEN POINT (CAST)
EDEN, WYOMING
FINLEY BISON KILL SITE
FOREST FENN COLLECTION

    This Eden point was found on the Finley bison kill site in Sweetwater County near Eden, Wyoming sometime in the 1940's. It's very well made with uniform collateral pressure flaking and a diamond cross-section. The point has a burin type break from an impact. This Eden point dates to the Paleo-Indian period and it was probably propelled through the air with a throwing stick (atlatl).  It's made from a semi-translucent dark amber colored chert and measures 3 9/16 inches (9 cm) long.

THE FINLEY BISON KILL SITE

    The Finley site is a Paleo-Indian bison kill site. It was discovered in 1939 by O.M. Finley. Various excavations of the site in the 1940's produced 24 projectile points. Six were classified as Scottsbluff points, and eight as Eden points. One complete Cody knife was also found.
    The Finley site is located in a large sand dune field and evidence shows that it was once used as a sand dune trap by Paleo-Indians. Two different kinds of extinct bison were found in the bone bed, B. bison antiquus and B. bison occidentalis. Approximately 58 bison are represented and they were apparently killed in midwinter.

EDEN POINTS

    Eden points were first discovered in Yuma County, Colorado blow-outs during the 1930's but none were found in situ until the spring of 1940 when Harold J. Cook spent several days digging in a site discovered by O. M. Finley. The Eden point was named by H. M. Wormington after the town of Eden, Wyoming. The Eden type site was named the Finley site in honor of O. M. Finley who discovered it.
   Eden points are one component of the Cody Complex. An estimated age for these spear points is somewhere between 9,000 to 8,500 years ago. They are found from southwest Texas to northwest Wisconsin to eastern British Columbia. Eden points are known for their exceptionally well done parallel pressure flaking and diamond cross-section. The people that made them were hunting large animals like bison.

MARCH 2009 CAST
BONE FISHHOOK, CAHOKIA MOUNDS SITE

BONE FISHHOOK
CAHOKIA MOUNDS SITE
MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS

COPYRIGHT FEBRUARY 28, 2009 PETER A. BOSTROM
Cast of a bone fishhook from Cahokia Mounds.
CAST ILLUSTRATED
CAST #M-13
BONE FISHHOOK
CAHOKIA MOUNDS SITE
MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS
CAHOKIA MOUNDS MUSEUM COLLECTION

   This bone fishhook was found several years ago on the Cahokia Mounds Historic site. It was discovered during the excavation of the stockade wall. It appears to be made of deer bone and possibly from the toe bone of a deer. An estimated date for this fishhook is somewhere between A.D. 900 to A.D. 1300.
   Fishhooks have been found on Mississippi, Woodland and Archaic sites. Bone fishhooks 8,000 to 9,000 years old were found in Nebraska (Wormington, 1957: 138).
   To the Mississippian people, fish were an extremely important source for concentrated protein. The bones from several different varieties of fish such as flathead catfish, alligator gar, drum buffalo, largemouth bass, walleye, channel catfish, bowfin, gar and suckers are found in abundance on many Mississippian village sites.
   Fishing techniques varied greatly just as they do today. The use of nets in pools left by receding floodwater would account for large and easy catches. The use of harpoons, hooks and gorges would produce much lower volumes of fish.
   The paucity of fishhooks on Mississippian sites suggests angling was of relatively little economic importance. Most fishhooks were probably used on trot lines rather than the single lines and poles we use today.

FEBRUARY 2009 CAST
SUGAR QUARTZ CLOVIS POINT

CLOVIS POINT
UNION COUNTY, ILLINOIS
ST. LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER COLLECTION
COPYRIGHT JANUARY 31, 2009 PETER A. BOSTROM
Cast of a Clovis point found in Union County, Illinois.
CAST ILLUSTRATED
CAST #P-78
CLOVIS POINT
UNION COUNTY, ILLINOIS
ST. LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER COLLECTION

     This Clovis point was found in 1868 in Union County, Illinois. It was collected many years ago by H. M. Whelpley of St. Louis, Missouri. It's made from sugar Quartz that might be Hixton from Wisconsin and measures 4 1/2 inches long. This is a very nice example of an eastern style Clovis point. Both flutes are 2 inches (5.1 cm) long. The flutes are also wide and deep.

A sugar Quartz Clovis point found in Union Co., Illinois.
ORIGINAL ARTIFACT ILLUSTRATED
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
CLOVIS POINT
UNION COUNTY, ILLINOIS
ST. LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER COLLECTION

     This picture shows both sides of the original Clovis point from Union County, Illinois.

JANUARY 2009 CAST
CLOVIS POINT

CLOVIS POINT
COLBY MAMMOTH KILL SITE
NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT COLLECTION
COPYRIGHT DECEMBER 31, 2008 PETER A. BOSTROM
Cast of a Clovis point from the Colby site.
CAST ILLUSTRATED
CAST #P-77
CLOVIS POINT
COLBY SITE---NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING

   This Clovis point was found during the excavation of the Colby mammoth kill site in 1975. It was found within a short distance of a mammoth rib bone. This Clovis point is the only “classic” example found on the Colby site. The other three Clovis points found on the site have rounded corners and deep concave bases that almost look like large notches. This point was resharpened at least one or more times. Evidence of this can be seen on one side in the form of an impact fracture that was partially removed when it was last re-pointed. This Clovis point is made of a dull blue colored semi-translucent Phosphoria chert and measures 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) long.

THE COLBY SITE
CLICK HERE FOR COLBY SITE PICTURES & HISTORY

   The Colby site is located on private property in north central Wyoming in the Bighorn Basin. This important site was named after Donald Colby who discovered the first Clovis spear point there in 1962. Mr. Colby found it while using heavy earth moving equipment during the construction of a reservoir. The Colby site was first recognized as an important archaeological site when the first scientific excavations began to take place there in 1973. Most of the site was eventually excavated during five separate digging seasons between the years 1973 through 1978.
    Parts of at least seven mammoths were found in an ancient arroyo (dry gully or stream) in two areas designated as bone pile number 1 and bone pile number 2. There was also a third much smaller bone concentration that consisted of a variety of different mammoth bones. It's believed that due to the difference in the preservation of the bones that the mammoths were probably not all killed at the same time. The two larger bone piles were found to be in direct association with a small collection of Clovis related stone and bone artifacts. New dating estimates for Clovis could place this site as early as 14,000 years ago. Other types of animal bones found on the Colby site include horse, camel, bison, pronghorn, jackrabbit and possibly musk-ox.

SEPTEMBER 2008 CAST
EDEN POINT

EDEN POINT
FINLEY SITE
EDEN, WYOMING

PRIVATE COLLECTION
COPYRIGHT AUGUST 31, 2008 PETER A. BOSTROM
A small Eden point from Eden type site, the Finley site.
CAST ILLUSTRATED
CAST #P-76
EDEN POINT
FINLEY SITE
EDEN, WYOMING

PRIVATE COLLECTION

   This Eden point was found many years ago on the Finley site near Eden, Wyoming. The Finley site is a bison kill site and some evidence for this can be seen on the tip of this point in the form of an impact fracture. This small Eden point may have been resharpened one or more times. It measures 1 9 /16 inches (4 cm) long.
 
  Eden points were first found in Yuma County, Colorado blow-outs during the 1930's but none were found in situ until the spring of 1940 when Harold J. Cook spent several days digging on a site discovered by O. M. Finley. The Eden point type was named by H. M. Wormington after the town of Eden, Wyoming near where the type site is located. The Eden type site was named in honor of O. M. Finley who discovered the site (Wormington 1957: 124).
   Eden points are one component  of the Cody Complex for which Irwin (1971) gives a time span of 7,000 to 6,500 B.C. and a geographical range of from southwest Texas to north west Wisconsin to eastern British Columbia. Eden points are famous for their exquisite workmanship. Though the Cody Complex is usually referred to as Paleo-Indian, available evidence indicates they were hunting the same animals in exactly the same manner as their descendants were until the introduction of the bow.


EDEN POINT TIP
FINLEY SITE, EDEN WYOMING

    Picture shows impact fracture on the tip of this Finley site Eden point.

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